In response to complaints about inaccessible medical services
and equipment, the Equal Rights Center (ERC) has launched a new initiative
aimed at eliminating this form of discrimination.The initiative began after three ERC members
who use wheelchairs called the ERC to report denial of services, inaccessible
tables, and inadequate lifting practices at medical clinics in Washington, D.C.

“The inaccessibility of basic medical equipment, such as examination
tables, seriously compromises the quality of care individuals with disabilities
receive,” said ERC Executive Director, Don Kahl.“Not providing equal preventative and urgent
care services to a large segment of our population is not only illegal but also
a disservice to our entire country.”

These complaints are not the first encountered by the ERC in
addressing accessibility barriers.In
2005 the ERC advocated for accessible medical facilities and reached a
settlement with WashingtonHospitalCenter,
which mandated that medical facilities, such as examination rooms, examination
tables and other medical equipment be made accessible.The settlement also addressed inadequacies in
policies and procedures to ensure that patients with disabilities receive the
assistance they need to eat, drink, and otherwise care for themselves.

“A health center should be a place of safe harbor for all
individuals,” said Jennifer Wolfsheimer,
the ERC’s Disability Rights Manager.“Equal treatment at health centers not only improves the wellbeing of
the individuals who visit, but also improves the lives of the entire community
through a more healthy and active citizenry.”

In an effort to ensure people with disabilities do not
encounter similar forms of discrimination, the ERC has began an initiative to
educate people with disabilities about their rights and health care providers
about their responsibilities and, when necessary, advocacy and enforcement directed
at those who violate the laws protecting people with disabilities.

If you or anyone you know have encountered accessibility
issues at a health facility or if you would like to get involved in this
initiative please contact Jennifer Wolfsheimer
at 202-370-3210 or jwolfsheimer@equalrightscenter.org

4 Comments

Dear Jennifer,
I have a Primary Care Physician who does not have a wheelchair accessible restroom, and doesn't have an accessible exam table, and doesn't have an accessible X-Ray machine. One day I accidentally fell out of my wheelchair at my apartment complex and sprained my foot. I went to his office and he referred me to the outpatient clinic at the nearby hospital for an X-Ray. I never get a proper exam in his office. I hate going there, but I cannot seem to get any information about where doctors are who have accessible exam tables, except those associated with the hospitals, which charge more to Medicaid.

I hope you do not consider this a trivial matter of accessibility; however, I would like you to be aware that many hospitals force people to take elevators and refuse to allow them to use the stairs.

Use of elevators causes me to experience spatial disorientation, including dizziness, and, for this reason I prefer to use the stairs. However, I was recently denied stairway access at a Santa Rosa, Calif. medical facility.

The medical personnel cited "security" interests in forcing me to use the elevator.

Through formal requests for accommodation, I have successfully obtained stairway use in a California Superior Court facility, citing propriceptive dysfunction. However, I do not know what recourse I have to request similar accommodation at hospitals.

Frankie Mastrangelo is the moderator for both the Justice For All (JFA) national email listerv as well as for the JFActivist blog. She is also an organizer for the American Association of People with Disabilities in Washington, D.C.